Preventing forgetting in development events

Recent studies on Blended Learning (those courses that use a combination of online and classroom delivery) that the blended model is suited for adult learning for many reasons, including flexibility, control, and time for reflection. "How to Train the Aging Brain"(Jan 3, 2010) , reported in the New York Times, provides an additional argument for employing blended training: by the nature of its design, a blended model places students into unfamiliar and ambiguous learning situations, which is how adults learn best.

In the Times article, researchers discuss the value of designing learning activities in a way that prevents forgetting. Researcher maintain that in order for the older brain to retain new information, it must be challenged in a variety of contexts.

…we need to move beyond (stuff) and challenge our perception of the world. If you always hang around with those you agree with and read things that agree with what you already know, you’re not going to wrestle with your established brain connections.

Adults also learn best when they experience "disorienting dilemmas," which force students to question "the assumptions they’ve acquired." While the experience may be uncomfortable, it is in that bewildering space that long-term learning occurs. Well-planned blended models make use of this approach through complex simulations and realistic exercises. These scenarios incorporate uncertainty and press students to make decisions and explore consequences, but still within a safe practice environment - not the actual back office or factory floor!

Is your current training designed for adult learning? Here are some questions to ask yourself (see More Steam), especially if you’re considering the transition from a classroom-only model to a Blended Learning model:

• Are you challenging your adult learners assumptions and perceptions, or simply throwing facts and figures at them?
• Do your exercises, simulations and quizzes contain ambiguity, or do they simply re-state the materials presented in the lessons?
• How often are your students thrust into situations where they can use the “stuff” in a variety of environments rather than the comfortable ones?
• Do your training lessons foster enough discussion and help students to challenge the current process state?

Dare yourself to make your training more uncomfortable and ambiguous, and as a result, completely unforgettable.

Get "McArthur's Rant" on your iPhone

I'm delighted to announce that McArthur's Rant is now available as a free iPhone application. The app, entitled "HR Thoughts" is available for downloading here or can be downloaded directly from the iTunes app store.

Organisational charts and organisational reality

Here is a great conversation starter from the team over at Delta 7. How often have you heard your new CEO or HRD stating that "all will become clear once the new Target Operating Model or organisation chart are in place"?

Whilst such tools and techniques are helpful, organisations intent on changing the way they operate must look behind the models and consider what is REALLY happening.

Keep your eyes open - it's an amazing world

I was wandering around London yesterday heading towards Paddington railway station on my way home from work. I happened to look up and noticed this plaque on the wall celebrating the fact that Sir Alexander Fleming (6 August 1881 – 11 March 1955) Scottish biologist and pharmacologist accidentally discovered penicillin on that spot.



Fleming famously said:

When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic, or bacteria killer, but I guess that was exactly what I did

There is a lesson in this for us all. Keep your eyes open and be ready to receive because you never know what might be just around the corner.

25 tips for a better life

I've had a frustrating day which reminded me why I enjoy thinking and trying out lists like this every now and again. I hope you find this interesting, please let me know what you think.

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant
2. Go analogue for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to _______ today.’
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Scottish salmon, broccoli and almonds.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, workplace dementors, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out credit card.
9. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
12. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
14. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years will this matter?’
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. Good heals everything.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
25. Remember: Thoughts become things…. choose the good ones!

Krafty Americans to snap up "emotional" Cadbury

Cadbury's HR director has described the inevitable takeover of her organisation by Kraft as "very emotional".
HR Magazine reports that Kraft, the world's second-largest food company, has said it will continue to invest in Cadbury's iconic Bourneville site, and says jobs are also likely to go in its own organisation as the deal unfolds. Some 10,000 jobs could be cut by Kraft worldwide. The first jobs expected to go are in Cadbury's Uxbridge head office

Speaking yesterday at the European HR Directors' Business Summit in Birmingham, Diane Tomlinson, corporate HR director, organisation effectiveness for Britain and Ireland at Cadbury's, said: "Our organisation has been in the news quite a bit. Our board has recommended our shareholders should accept Kraft's [$7 billion] takeover offer.

"I can't answer any questions about the take over bid, but I have been with Cadbury's for 20 years, so as you can imagine it is a very emotional time. It is interesting being at the other end of an acquisition as we are usually the ones acquiring."

Discussing the subject of improving decision-making at the company, which employs 6,000 in the UK and Ireland, Tomlinson said: "Our culture is our biggest strength, but it also casts a shadow. We are focusing on increasing the pace of our actions, improving our attitude to risk and leveraging passion and pride among our staff. We took this for granted in the past but we have to stoke the fire again."

The company has worked over the past five years to speed up its decision-making processes, to reduce the time spent in internal meetings and emphasising the role of coaching for business improvement.

I'm not especially against such takeovers, and in this case as long as Kraft leave the product well alone I'm sure it could be a good move for all concerned. Tomlinson also commented that "Our focus is to inject pace into the organisation." which again I understand. It may also be advantageous for the new organisation to demonstrate tangible "progress" to employees which, if recent HBR opinion is anything to go by, motivates employees more than any other factor.

A=B - Even when you've seen the proof, your eyes will keep deceiving you

It's almost impossible to believe, but square A is exactly the same shade of grey as square B. To see the evidence for yourself, click on the picture, follow the link and you will see the evidence.

The same color illusion—also known as Adelson's checker shadow illusion, checker shadow illusion and checker shadow—is an optical illusion published by Edward H. Adelson, Professor of Vision Science at MIT.

Rant resource recommendations

TED have introducing a significant new feature on TED.com. It's called "Best of the Web". Essentially they have begun linking to the best talks out there that were NOT recorded at a TED event. You can see a few other early selections here (in the 'Show by Event' selector on the left, scroll down to the bottom to "Best of the Web"), including:

Steve Jobs: How to Live Before You Die
Michael Sandel: What is the Right Thing to Do?
Robert Sapolsky: The Uniqueness of Humans
Edwidge Danticat: Stories of Haiti
...and the famous "last lecture" of Randy Pausch

Also new and freely available is a resource list from "Online Colleges and Universities" who have developed a directory for prospective students/bloggers interested in business and investing. It includes what they call the 200 Best Business Student Resources (eBooks, Courses, etc.).

Blue Monday - the most depressing day of the year

The psychologist, Cliff Arnall who 'calculated' that today is the most depressing day of the year is urging us to "refute the whole notion" and be cheerful instead.

The date has since inspired a themed comedy night in London called Gloom Aid, a 'Beat Blue Monday' campaign organised by a PR company and the defiant launch of International Optimism Day by The Optimists Society.

Now Mr Arnall has admitted the idea of a single most depressing day was "not particularly helpful" because it became "a self-fulfilling prophecy" and that achieving happiness and being less materialistic was a year-round aim. He said Monday January 18 should instead be used to "get a bit of perspective" about our own lives."I'm pleased about the impact it if it means people are talking about depression and how they feel but I'm also encouraging people to refute the whole notion of there being a most depressing day and to use the day as a springboard for the things that really matter in your life,""I see a lot of clients who are just fed up with materialistic lives, trying to play catch-up with your neighbours and forgetting what the important things are."

Whatever next? Be nice to HR day? Kiss an accountant day? Tell the boss the truth day? For goodness sake get a grip.

Learning from the movies - 12 Angry Men

This brilliant movie provides many lessons relating to persuasion, leadership, diversity, conflict, consensus decision making, lack of genuine discussion, and diversity issues.

"12 Angry Men" focuses on a jury's deliberations in a murder case. A 12-man jury is sent to begin deliberations in the first-degree murder trial of an 18-year-old Latino accused in the stabbing of his father, where a guilty verdict means an automatic death sentence. The case appears to be open-and-shut: The defendant has a weak alibi; a knife he claimed to have lost is found at the murder scene; and several witnesses either heard screaming, saw the killing or the boy fleeing the scene. Eleven of the jurors immediately vote guilty; only Juror No. 8 (Mr. Davis) casts a not guilty vote. At first Mr. Davis' bases his vote more so for the sake of discussion after all, the jurors must believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. As the deliberations unfold, the story quickly becomes a study of the jurors' complex personalities (which range from wise, bright and empathetic to arrogant, prejudiced and merciless), preconceptions, backgrounds and interactions. That provides the backdrop to Mr. Davis' attempts in convincing the other jurors that a "not guilty" verdict might be appropriate.

As such "12 Angry Men" is an invaluable resource to any leader, trainer or manager involved in negotiations or influence.

Source material: IMdb

Tribal Leadership

In this TED talk, David Logan talks about how there appears to be 5 levels of tribal leadership. He emphasises the value of identifying which tribes you are part of, how to network with people you don't know and describes how Gallup achieved a truly worldwide opinion poll. He leaves us with a question:

...Will your tribes change the world?....

Footnote: For all those TED geeks out there check out the interactive transcipt now available on the talks. You simply have to highlight the text you want to hear and the video goes to that point.

Finding a new path in 2010

Many people reflect on their careers at this time of year and for some it's time for a change. This can be a daunting experience, especially if you have been in your current role for many years. The Fast Company report on Nick Corcodilos's views on how to go about such a change. Here is Nick's plan for devising a more fruitful job search.

Step 1: Give yourself the freedom to explore. Forget that you're looking for a job. First, you have to figure out where you want to go. We're talking "blue sky" here. So head to the library, an old school but shockingly useful treasure trove of helpful information. Forget the Internet. Too focused, too virtual. Right now, you need to roam the periodicals section, allowing yourself the luxury of following wherever your interest takes you. After you're done reading In Touch and Rolling Stone, sidle on over to the trade publications and start nosing around. Gather up a few publications that interest you, and see if you can find any patterns. Jot down notes on stories that generate a spark. Start drilling down into specific companies, taking notes on their business prospects, their revenue, their problems, their successes. And start taking names. The people mentioned in stories about a company are typically their movers and shakers. You'll need them for Step 2.

Step 2: Armed with information about four or five--no more!--companies where you think you would enjoy working, pick up the phone or ferret out an email to get in touch with the people on your list. Don't ask for an informational interview! They'll drop you like a hot potato! Instead, come up with some thought-provoking question that might inspire the person on the other end of your missive to engage. Ask them what they're reading these days that influences their work, ask about an industry issue. The point is to establish a connection, get a little more information, and see if this industry is actually one that would be a good fit.

Step 3: Simultaneously, you should be figuring out how to meet more people in the industry you've targeted. What are the events, training programs, blogs, online communities, and organizations that attract these folks? If you can connect with some of them via friends, all the better. Just remember: The key is to talk shop with them not belabor them with your career aspirations. Ask for advice and insight--not job leads.

Step 4: If, after all this researching and chatting, you're still keen on the new industry, you need to figure out how your current skills map to a future employer's needs. Figure out the work function you're most interested in and the skills it requires. What are you missing? Do you need more education or training? Is that a deal breaker? You may have to trade income and status for a chance to learn the ropes.

Step 5: If you're now as up-to-speed as you're ever likely to be, it's time to get serious. With a grasp of the problems and challenges your prospective employer is facing, you're now ready to draft a business plan for the job you want. This doesn't have to be too detailed. You're not expected to know the nitty gritty of the company's balance sheet. The goal is to demonstrate you've been thinking about THAT COMPANY's specific problems, and what you could do to help them.

Step 6: Using the contacts you've developed, try to find a manager who might hear you out. This is NOT about answering a posted job listing. This is about all those jobs that never get posted--or don't even exist until you've shown that they should create a job just for you.

Step 7: Now, for the tricky part. Let's say you've impressed the hiring manager with your creativity and pluck. but you still don't have the background that the other folks on his or her team have. Time to negotiate! Point out your relevant skills and suggest that if you meet a certain number of milestones toward new skills in a certain amount of time, you can revisit the compensation question. Changing careers often incurs costs, but you should treat it as an investment.

The market is admittedly tough, Corcodilos concedes, but "good companies are still looking for good people who can help them make a profit." Why shouldn't it be you?

Other reading: Interviewing Do’s and Don’ts for Job Seekers SHRM Poll

Snow way - Bad Weather 2.0

The UK, like many other parts of the globe, is in the grips of the worst cold snap pretty much ever recorded. This made me wonder what, if any, impact this would have on the economy in light of the supposed proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies.

This came to mind as I have always been struck by an extraordinary phenomenon - when it snows managers are able to make it into the office whilst other staff are "snowed in" and home bound. Surely this would mean that more people are (stranded) at home using Web 2.0 technology to maintain productivity levels?


On looking into this I found that the price paid by the UK has been significant. The BBC reports that millions are being lost in productivity whilst the Financial Times headline claims that UK plc closed. I guess my hypothesis regarding Web 2.0 hasn't improved the situation as much as I would have expected.

Funny thing though. In China, Reuters reports Big chill grips Asia, little economic impact seen. Hmmm.

Designing the Best 10 Years of Your Life--Your Strategic Plan for Achieving Lifelong Goals

I've been contacted by Success magazine who have provided me and you with the opportunity to enjoy an 8 weeks success programme. The course has been designed to guide people through the development of a comprehensive life plan complete with all of his proprietary documents, worksheets, video and audio material--everything provided in his previous $1,500 single-day workshop.

The program and complete system with all the support materials are being given away for free to readers of McArthur's Rant. If you are interested in experiencing this 1st class material please click on the banner above.

Top 25 Digital HR Influencers, 2009

The people over at HR Examiner have published a list of the top 25 most influential digital HR influencers. The list contains loads of useful links to some of the best bloggers, writers and commentators in the HR world. The UK's very own Jon Ingham is deservedly included on the list, Jon is a lucid and challenging writer and I'm delighted to see him gain recognition for his efforts. My one gripe is that Jon is the ONLY UK based member of the HR digerati on the list. Come on UK HR community let's see more of you on these lists in the future.

How to Resolve Conflict as a Leader

It’s not the easiest of tasks being a leader – yes, you do have the advantage of holding a fancy title and commanding the troops, but on the downside, when something goes wrong, you’re the first one in the firing line. Anyone can cope when the going is good; it doesn’t take a business degree to know that it’s when things start to go wrong that you need someone strong to step in. To prove that you’re a good and capable leader, you need to show that you can handle adverse situations adroitly; anyone can cope when the going is good; it’s when things start to go wrong that you need someone strong to step in and take charge. One way to prove that you’re a genuine and capable leader is to resolve conflicts that arise amidst your team, amicably and without any permanent repercussions. To do this, guest blogger Shannon Willis suggests that you:

Listen to both sides: When you fail to listen to both aggrieved parties, you show your prejudice and bias, traits that a leader should stay far away from. You must hear both sides of the argument before you take one person to task and/or allay the other. Only then can you avoid making mistakes in your decision.

Do your own research: Rather than blindly listening to what people tell you, take some time to find out what the facts really are. This will help you resolve the problem justly. People are blinded by prejudices and preferences, so put in some effort into finding out the truth before you say or do anything.

Get to the root of the problem: Very often, the conflict itself is not the problem. There are underlying issues that cause resentment and frustration and these negative emotions result in a conflict. Getting to the root of the problem helps you avoid future conflicts and strife.

Use diplomacy and tact: Even if you know that one party is at fault, don’t take them to task in public. Instead, deal with them in private so that they are not embarrassed and humiliated. Remember that your team must work in harmony once the conflict is resolved, so keep your eye on the long term when trying to handle arguments and problems.

Know when to stay out: Some problems are petty and usually resolve themselves in a day or two. As a leader, you don’t have to step in and take care of every single problem that your team faces. More often than not, they are capable of handling their own issues, so stay out unless you know that work is going to be affected. Micromanagement never did anyone any good, so look at the larger picture before you take charge of a conflict and try to resolve it.

This guest post is contributed by Shannon Wills, she writes on the topic of Online Engineering Degree . She welcomes your comments at her email id: shannonwills23@gmail.com.

DayDreamer - Dream it, live it

One of the most important events in my business life was when I met Simon Clarkson of niche performance coaching consultancy Advance Performance. Simon introduced me to new ways of thinking about how I work and play which I have unashamedly passed on to friends and family ever since.


Now I am delighted to announce that Simon has pulled lots of his thinking into a new book wonderfully titled "DayDreaming". Written in a chatty style, with discrete sections and exercises it is a perfect introduction to anyone interested in improving their performance as a person and in the workplace.

Simon has agreed to chat with me about his book in the next few weeks about his thoughts on improved personal performance. Watch this space. In the meantime, check out the official website for the book DayDreaming and do yourself a favour by buying it before you set your new years resolutions.